WIREDGOV

Eleven financially challenged health economies in England are to receive expert help with strategic planning in order to secure sustainable quality services for their local patients.

Monitor, NHS England and the NHS Trust Development Authority have agreed to fund a series of projects to help groups of commissioners and providers work together to develop integrated five-year plans that effectively address the particular local challenges they face.

As part of the annual planning round, all NHS organisations are being urged to plan over a five-year period in future as part of a concerted effort to tackle the long-term financial and operational challenges facing the system.

The 11 areas have been chosen on the basis that they will most benefit from external support in the first few weeks of the new financial year, and potential suppliers are now being invited to tender for the work.

Responsibility for delivering strategic plans remains with the individual commissioners and providers. The appointed supplier will act as a critical friend, seeking to bring together all partners in the health economy and testing whether the organisations are undertaking their long term strategic planning in the most effective way.

Suppliers will be appointed at the end of March and will begin a programme of work lasting around 10 weeks across four workstreams:

• a diagnosis of supply and demand;
• solutions development and options analysis,
• plan development;and
• implementation.

NHS England’s Chief Financial Officer Paul Baumann said, "We are investing resources now to help organisations across these health economies to plan effectively. The health economies identified are those where we believe that this immediate support will have the greatest long-term impact, providing significant positive benefits to patients and taxpayers in the future."

• For further information, please contact the NHS England press office at nhsengland.media@nhs.net
• Or the NHS Trust Development Authority at ntda.communications@nhs.net, 07920 458541
• Or for further information, please contact the Monitor press office at press.office@monitor.gov.uk, 020 3747 0800.

Notes:

1. Relationship managers will be available to each local partner within the specific health economy to clarify the process and answer any further questions.
2. The three-step health economy selection exercise involved quantitative and qualitative analysis of finances, governance and quality issues by the three national partners.
3. The 11 health economies are:

• South West London
• North East London
• Cumbria
• Eastern Cheshire
• Staffordshire
• Mid Essex
• Cambridge & Peterborough
• Leicestershire
• Northamptonshire
• East Sussex
• Devon

About Monitor

• Monitor is the sector regulator of NHS-funded health care services. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 its main duty is to protect and promote the interests of patients. Information about Monitor’s role can be found here.
• Follow Monitor on twitter @MonitorUpdate

About NHS TDA

• An independent organisation, the NHS TDA works closely with other important national bodies such as NHS England, the Care Quality Commission and Monitor, to help to ensure they play an important role in providing broader health system leadership to deliver sustainable, high quality care.
• The NHS TDA brings together a number of functions previously carried out within the Department of Health, Strategic Health Authorities and by the Appointments Commission. It has the core objective of supporting NHS trusts and ensuring that services to patients are of the highest possible quality, including:
• assurance of clinical quality, governance and risk in NHS trusts;
• appointments to NHS trusts, eg, of chairs and non-executive members and trustees for NHS charities where the Secretary of State has a power to appoint;
• performance management of NHS trusts; and
• management of the NHS foundation trust pipeline.
• Further information about the NHS Trust Development Authority is available from www.ntda.nhs.uk

About NHS England

• NHS England is the body which leads the NHS in England. Its main aim is to improve the health outcomes for people in England, and it sets the overall direction and priorities for the NHS as a whole.